Published: November 11, 2025
Publisher: Saga Press
Series: Hierarchy #2
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 736 (Kindle)
My Rating: 5 Stars
Synopsis:
This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many—one of 2023’s most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels—follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could unravel history across alternate dimensions.
OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM
The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. Still hail me as Catenicus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am.
But with all that has happened—with what I fear is coming—I am not sure it matters anymore.
I am no longer one. I won the Iudicium, and lost everything—and now, impossibly, the ancient device beyond the Labyrinth has replicated me across three separate worlds. A different version of myself in each of Obiteum, Luceum, and Res. Three different bodies, three different lives. I have to hide; fight; play politics. I have to train; trust; lie. I have to kill; heal; prove myself again, and again, and again.
I am loved, and hated, and entirely alone.
Above all, though, I need to find answers before it’s too late. To understand the nature of what has happened to me, and why.
I need to find a way to stop the coming Cataclysm, because if all I have learned is true, I may be the only one who can.
The Strength of the Few picks up directly after the events of The Will of the Many and boy, am I glad I did a full re-read of the first book. I had forgotten so much in the year and a half since I read it for the first time and even reading a summary didn’t help much. So, coming in with a fresh re-read really helped set me up for maximum enjoyment. The biggest change in The Strength of the Few is that there are now three POVs that you read from and every single one always ended on a mini-cliffhanger! I kept getting annoyed that I would have to wait several chapters before coming back to find out what was happening!
Vis ran the Labyrinth during the Iudicium and at the end we find out that he copied himself into Luceum and Obiteum, while the ‘original’ Vis remained on Res. The three POV chapters follow the three versions of Vis as he navigates these deadly new worlds which are vastly different from one another and his homeworld of Res. Caten doesn’t exist in the other worlds – Luceum is reminiscent of ancient Ireland while Obiteum is clearly inspired by Egyptian imagery. While it’s certainly exciting to unravel these alternate worlds, Caten is in turmoil and Vis is trying to keep his friends alive, reveal who was behind the attacks at the Iudicium, and pass his tests with enough proficiency to have access to the information he needs while dealing with the loss of his arm.
Vis in Luceum is immediately sucked into a conflict between warring kingdoms while trying not to get murdered by the druids (draoi) who wield this world’s version of Will. This Vis gets to heal from his past in a way that the other two simply don’t get to and it was nice to see him form bonds with the people he trains with. Luceum, despite it’s dangers, is the therapy Vis has really needed for the past four years.
Vis in Obiteum is the most knowledgeable about what exactly has happened to him because he’s met by Caeror upon entering the world. Caeror was working with Veridius to stop the end of the world by killing a man named Ka that exists in each world, which means he’s Synchronous. Vis, being the only other Synchronous person in existence, is the only person who can possibly stop Ka from bringing about the next Cataclysm. Vis trains with Caeror to use this world’s Will, spies upon the city, and plots a way to kill a god.
Each POV is completely fascinating and at any given time my favorite POV was changing. Obiteum is a harsh world and though this Vis didn’t have to heal from a missing arm, he was subsisting on meager portions of food and water while constantly being on guard. Undead agents of Ka, called gleaners, would scout outside of the city and the tomb-city of Qabr where Vis was staying was constantly at risk. Luceum was a lush world but the constant threat of a faction of draoi and King Fiachra’s men kept Vis in a different but no less deadly sort of danger. This Vis was the most ignorant of the three about the Cataclysm and what it meant to be Synchronous, so for much of the book he was just sort of trying to get on with his life in this new world. Vis in Caten was sometimes a relief to return to, even if his chapters were just as chaotic thanks to the Anguis and the political turmoil in Caten. The Caten chapters get really wild toward the end and I was just in awe at some of the choices that were made!
The Strength of the Few was everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to The Will of the Many and I loved it. I dread the fact that I won’t get to read the next, and I believe the final book, The Justice of One, until sometime in 2027. The Strength of the Few ended on a cliffhanger that completely changed the paradigm and now I have utterly no idea what to expect from the next book. I love that James Islington is keeping me guessing and that this series is defying some of the formulaic tropes and trends in fantasy. Vis isn’t a ‘good guy’ per se, but he is doing what he thinks is right while also trying to keep those he’s close to safe. It’s safe to say, this is one of my favorite ongoing series right now and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Powder & Page 
So satisfying to have such a good second instalment.
Lynn 😀
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